Saturday, October 24, 2015

This all vegan, #CleanerEatin,
festive celebration will exclusively feature an array of desserts,
sweets, and delicasies; in addition to LIVE MUSIC, LIVE ART, food
demonstrations, and Vibes of Goodness.

Desserts will include
Vegg'd Out CupKakez, Cookies, Raw CheeseKakez, Raw Pies, Gluten-Free
treats, and more. These sweets will be for sale on site, as well as,
allow customers to pre-order these items for the remainer of the Fall
season, and for the upcoming Winter also, to serve at any special
occasion one may have. One of the main purposes of this event is to
allow the public to enjoy desserts without all of the intentional
poisonous ingredients that are featured
in most "conventional" constructed sweets. Also, to educate and inspire
some on how to make their own #VeggdOut
sweets with the highest quality ingredients, Thoughtfulness, and
Cleanliness in mind. As well as, without even being said, to further
combat the exploitation and ignorance that we as people in this society
are subjecting ourselves to willingly and unwillingly.

This event is free to the public, and is for all ages. It will also
serve as a fund-raiser for The Ybor Daily Market, an establishment which
has served, currently serves, and will serve as a beacon of Hope, a
haven of safety, and a shelter for anyone in need with a Good Heart.
Vegg'd Out is in great appreciation of their cooperative and giving
Hearts.

So bring your Heal-Thy sweet tooth, cheerful Spirit, and open-mind, and come out to enjoy this celebration. See you there!
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Thursday, October 22, 2015

An artist recently told me his goal had been to have a work in the Whitney before he was 40. Two decades later, he's dealing with that disappointment. Another expressed that and a little rage. At a recent show, an artist complained that no museum would take her entire oeuvre! She said she needed someone to write a ten million dollar check so she could open her own museum. That the Smithsonian has 200 of her prints is not enough.

These are just examples from the last month of the need for self-historicization. Ego plays a part in being included in a major collection. It serves as a kind of immortality, though in reality, Your work is unlikely to ever be seen and will languish in an off-site warehouse.

The Smithsonian has one of my prints, from a project I participated in decades ago involving a camera that went around the world. It sits in a warehouse in VA. Big deal.

Things have changed in the last 30 years. If one is concerned about these issues, the web's archives are probably the surest way to be remembered - and found.

For me, being remembered in people's minds and hearts is what matters.

Come out and enjoy light appetizers, a glass of wine and mingle with
the artists and the creative community. We look forward to seeing you. 18 and over welcome, no children please. Artwork may preview adult content.

Parking is limited in front of the building, but there is street
parking in the neighborhood behind the shop. Drink responsibly and
locals can use Uber or Lyft!

We look forward to seeing you! More details to come!!!
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"Florida-based artist Elizabeth Barenis presents a
collection of paintings which celebrate moments she has captured, old
and new, during the journey to her present location in St. Petersburg.
Inspired by her own photos, Along the Way reminds us to appreciate the
moments of beauty that happen when we are least expecting. It is those
moments which become etched in our memories and ultimately compose the
stories of our lives."
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Shepherd Boy Records artists Direwood and LILITH team up together to present another in the enduring fundraising campaign to literally keep the lights on at the beloved The Venture Compound. Tonight's spooky lineup includes sets from previous favorites the return of Brandeton's own Mirkwood and Shifted Grimm as well as dark set of DJ M0RT0S and DEA and Saint. $5! Wear a costume! Bring candy.

Sophia
' s process is interconnective and immersive. Her subjects are not just
models, but people she creates (platonic) relationships with. She is a
new schools Humanist whose principles and concerns are palpably encoded
into her portraits.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

By most measures, the SHINE Fest was a success. Over a dozen artists created murals around the City of Saint Petersburg. Several are extremely colorful and decorative, a few are strong in composition, content and meaning. The city has been considerably art-ified by these (mostly) highly visible works. All were selected by the SHINE director, Leon Bedore.

Like any first year festival, there were some rough spots and complaints. Those are the subjects of this article.

Most recently, there was a Facebook post from John Taormina of ARTicles Gallery quoting Wayne Atherholt (City Arts Director) from an interview, quoting where he said that artists should be paid for participating in the festival, and paid directly. All of which is true, though hardly that simple. The City put up $25,000, sponsors raised that to around 30,000 (though I have not seen the accounting figs), Cities rarely make direct payments to artists, using non-profits to insulate themselves from many potential problems. John Collins' Arts Alliance served in this function. Non profits take money for their services, and AA did. Also the Ad Agency for the event.

But not the artists. Agencies prioritizing agencies instead of individuals is nothing new. At least funds paid for the housing, transport, lifts, food and paint used. The amount of money raised was almost minimal for a festival of this magnitude.

Many local artists have complained that they were excluded and that there was no call for artists for them to be considered. Others that the Fest Director, Leon Bedore (whose nom de spray is Tes One, although there was an earlier, original and well-known Tes One) did not return e-mails, or consider artists who were in the original "Leave a Message" show at the Morean.

There were only three women in SHINE, only two had their own walls/murals, Ya La' Ford and Carrie Jadus. The third was Klor, who collaborated with her husband. I asked Leon about Carrie Jadus' status because throughout the festival's duration she was not listed on the SHINE site, or publication. He said she was in SHINE, and right after I left Leon, I drove to Soft Water, and Carrie told me that as far as she knew, she was not part of it. This changed a few days later, and she was included in the SHINE site.

There should have been more women in SHINE. I'm not going to suggest a number, that is up to the organizers, just that three is really low.

The children who were in the educational aspect of SHINE, under the tutelage of Chad Mize, learned to paint and executed a mural of the SHINE design at the Amsterdam. This came down in about a month, disappointing the children, who had not been notified this would be the case.

Perhaps after the self- trumpeting quiets down, there should be a general meeting, open to the public, for these (and other) concerns to be voiced, recorded and hopefully acted upon before next year.

The band is back! Dust off your dancing shoes and join
us for a fun evening of art and music. Purchase a mug, tumbler, cup or
goblet and enjoy the beverage of your choice all evening long. Special preview Thursday, October 8th from 4 to 7 pm

Join us tonight for the 2nd Saturday ArtWalk in
downtown St. Petersburg (recently named the #1 Craft Lover's City in
America!) as we celebrate American Craft Week with Cheers for Beer! and
a fundraiser for CERF+.

Cheers for Beer! features a super-fun
sale of handmade ceramic mugs and tumblers by professional local and
national potters. A complimentary St. Pete Brewing Orange Wheat local
beer comes with every mug purchase!

Along with many other St.
Pete galleries, we"ll be conducting an important fundraiser to benefit
the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+). The highlight of our
fundraising effort will be an opportunity raffle to win a beautiful,
ultra-large, oval signature ceramic casserole by Jonathan Barnes,
pictured above. We will have additional, handmade raffle items, too.
Drawing will take place at 9 p.m. as the 2nd Saturday ArtWalk on October
10th winds down. If you can't make it in tonight, we can take your
raffle ticket orders over the phone. CERF+ has been assisting the
livlihoods of artists in need for more than 25 years, and the money
raised will go into a specific 'Florida Fund.'

The gallery is
featuring an exhibition of large format black & white photography by
Clyde Butcher, titled "Preserving Florida's Legacy."

It's
Here, It's Here! Today is the first day of Pinellas Park Better Block!
Come to 5625 Park Blvd. Pinellas Park FL 33781 today from 11-8pm and see
the exhibition called "The Space We Share" featuring 12 artists' work
represented by ARTicles Art Gallery & Custom Framing. We've been
revealing two artists in the show everyday this week, and now for the
final two. Photographer Robin Dana http://rdana.com is a native of Georgia who earned her MFA at the Univ. of Connecticut. She
has exhibited throughout the eastern US and has been a teacher,
curator,art writer, and publisher. Her current work focuses on mining in
her hometown and the scarification of the landscape. David Erdman http://www.daviderdmansculpture.com/
is a master wood sculptor. He has always been involved with tools since
his family owned a hardware store and he draws inspriation for his
forms from his many years in the yacht-building business. He is
currently being featured along with Leslie Neumann in an exhibit called
"Where the Sea Meets the Sky" at ARTicles Leslie Curran Gallery, 1431
Central Ave, St Petersburg FL 33705, which opens tonight during Second
Saturday Art Walk!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

On December 12, 2012 Mayan writings prophecied the world would end. A whole industry of preppers, books, crazies and TV specials sprung up and experienced a real Apocalypse of its own when nothing happened.

In the literary Apocalyptic tradition, there's usually cataclysms, plagues, floods and other high drama, Wrath-of-God type events to close out an Age. In the novel "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, there was enough drama to reduce the world (and oceans) to ashes, including the Gulf of Mexico. In this cthonic landscape stragglers, including the two protagonists in the story, struggle to survive, gather and conserve meager resources. Murder and cannibalism are commonplace, as are shifty characters with the names of Biblical prophets. The father often wonders whether he will have the courage to shoot his son to prevent him from suffering in the event of a capture. The son, who was born after the conflagration, simply accepts the reality of the world as it is.

Gallery 221, @ HCC Dale Mabry Campus is showing "Carry the Fire", of works by Mike Covello. The title of the show refers to the litmus test the father and son character in the novel apply to those they meet, as if they were members of a Zoroastrian cult, but the metaphor is do they still carry the remnants and or seeds of humanity?

Covello talked about this at length during his speech at the gallery. Part of it in the context of the book, part in the context of the current state of the arts. There have been several essays about the Artpocalypse recently, how the arts have lost relevance, become a masturbatory exercise, mired in fame and chronyism, and more. The artist sees a similarity between the status of the duo of travelers in the scorched world and artists. Some artists, the truer, or purer ones, if you will. We, as artists and viewers, must also carry that fire.

In the Abrahamic traditions, Nature (The givens) is viewed as a medium- and gift- for Mankind to transform into useful forms.The artist affirmed the view that Nature is disorder and Man represents Order, which to me seems exactly backwards,and is part of why there has been such a strong, albeit oscillating, tie between Art and Nature over time.

Covello's complex paintings engage this dialog via structure, colors, forms and more. He said this is deliberate and that he wants the viewer to spend time with the work. Has Art experienced an Apocalypse? Those who think of earlier art forms represent the apex of Art surely think so, as do those who believe culture is in a downward spiral. The people burning Elvis records in the early 60s thought so, at least until the Rolling Stones arrived.

Apocalypses (religious or otherwise) are like resistant subductions between a familiar past and an uncertain future. They are plentiful in recorded history, therefore serve a purpose. They are a form of temporal pagination or marker between two eras. Those that are being left behind (like the Father in The Road) have the gratifying distinction of being the last of their kind and having known the last of the great days. If it involves death, and all do at least metaphorically, the loneliness of a personal passing is lessened by the knowledge of a collective death. We will be seeing many others in the near future. In the Arts, too.

All images shown are the work of Michael Covello and are copyrighted, all rights reserved.